Vinification

Fermentation - Ageing - Bottling 'On Lees'

Technology in the service of tradition

Our grapes are harvested at optimum ripeness and carefully sorted - only the finest grapes are selected. Next they are slowly and gently pressed in pneumatic presses to extract a premium grape juice; privilege is given to quality over quantity.

The must (unfermented grape juice) is cooled and maintained at a temperature between 7 and 9°C for up to 48 hours of cold-settling. The goal is to preserve the maximum expression of fruit and terroir. The heavier particles descend to the bottom naturally by gravity and we then proceed to the decantation of the clear top juice that will serve to produce our fine and delicate wines. This process is called cold racking (débourbage à froid).

After another 3 to 5 days of cold-settling, fermentation starts very slowly and is continually and carefully temperature controlled to maintain the bright aromatics and freshness specific to each of our varieties and terroirs. It takes between 15 to 18 days for natural yeasts to convert the sugar into alcohol.

All of our Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu Sur Lie wines are aged between 7 and 14 months on its lees (wine deposits which are composed primarily of inactive yeast left after fermentation). Ageing and bottling "Sur Lie" is specific to our region. This technique significantly increases the aromatics of our wines and also retains some of the carbon dioxide gas that develops during the fermentation process, giving them a light effervescence with a crisp and refreshing finish.

Finally, we stabilize all our wines naturally without additives, chemical or otherwise. Using the traditional ancestral technique of ‘cold stabilization’, we expose the wine to temperatures just below freezing to encourage any tartrates to crystallize and precipitate out of the wine and to eliminate the formation of sediment deposits. This process also prevents any deterioration of flavour and increases the clarity and brightness of the wine. We guarantee intrinsic taste quality in all our wines.

“Wine making is my passion, as is cultivating the very best vines. Each and every step of the process determines the final expression of the flavours and aromas of my wines, from the most intense to the most delicate.” Jérôme CHOBLET - Wine Grower - Creator of Emotion